This invention generally relates to cooking devices and more particularly to a portable barbecuing and smoking device for indoor cooking of meats and other foods.
Barbecuing is a traditional cooking process which has probably been in use for centuries. Essentially the process involves the cooking of foods by exposing them to relatively low temperature smoke for a number of hours. Meat cuts such as briskets and roasts which are tenderized by lengthy cooking are particularly amendable to barbecuing.
Many people confuse barbecuing with the broiling/grilling process employed with the typical backyard grill. In the broiling process food is cooked by exposing it to direct radiation and high temperature convective currents generated by burning fuel such as charcoal briquettes. In contrast in the barbecue process direct exposure of the cooking food to the heat source is avoided.
The type of structure used for barbecuing normally includes a fire pit, a cooking section and a conduit or flue through which smoke and heated combustion gases are transported from the fire pit to the cooking section. The structure also includes a chimney through which the smoke and gases are exhausted after passing through the cooking section. Smoke and heat is produced by burning a smoke producing substance in the fire pit such as wet or green wood, which is periodically replenished, until cooking is completed.
The most desirable heat range for barbecuing is about 180.degree. F. to 250.degree. F. so the cooking section must be located far enough downstream from the fire pit that the temperature of the gases and smoke has decreased to within that range. Because of the spacing required between the fire pit and the cooking section, barbecuing devices tend to be relatively large and cumbersome as compared to higher temperature cooking devices. Traditionally barbecuing devices have been constructed of brick or stone. Because of their mass and because of the heat and smoke produced in the process, they are preferably located out of doors. As a result enjoyment of barbecuing at home has been limited to those few who have the facilities to accommodate such a device. Further because of their size and cost of construction it is difficult for most people to justify building such a device to cook relatively modest amounts of food consumed by a family. Smaller portable barbecuing devices have appeared on the market from time to time but they have had a number of deficiencies. First, most are still large enough that they are practically limited to outdoor use. Secondly, most emit substantial amounts of smoke and combustion gases from various places in their structures, making it difficult to contain the gases and impractical to use them indoors.
Another problem encountered with many of these smaller devices is that they must be periodically opened in order to replenish the smoking substance. When they are opened, a significant amount of heat is lost and the temperature in the cooking section declines substantially. The added smoking substance must then be elevated to kindling temperature and the cooking section must then be brought back up to proper cooking temperature. As a result the cooking process is disrupted and many minutes of cooking time are lost.
Accordingly it is a principle object of this invention to provide for a compact portable barbecuing and smoking device which is practical to use in either an indoor or outdoor environment.
It is another object of this invention to provide for a barbecuing and smoking device which is suitable for use on a typical kitchen range top where the smoke and combustion gases produced in the barbecuing process can be exhausted by the range hood.
A further object of this invention is to provide for a barbecuing and smoking device in which the smoking substance can be replenished without causing significant temperature loss in the cooking section.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide for a barbecuing and smoking device which can be produced and sold at a modest price, thereby making it available to the average family.